Jay-Z ain't no Mike Jordan of Rap

 

When Hova proclaimed himself “The Mike Jordan of Recording”,  just like everyone, I  did agree. Then at  the Bet Rap awards he was quoted as saying “Men Lie, Women lie, but the numbers  don’t lie”, which kind of peeked my interest a bit. So I figured I would look  into Jay-z numbers and track record. The more you look into this, the more you  realize dude ain’t no Mike Jordan of Recording.  Here is what I found.

Record Sales

If you are the M.J. of Rap then the first place we start is  your record sales and stack them against your peers. The self proclaimed Mike  Jordan of raps best effort was the 5 million on Hard Knock Life –  Vol 2. Not bad right, until you look at the  numbers of Nelly, Eminen and 50 Cent and Biggie.

Jay-Z Vol. 2, Hard Knock Life – 5 million
  50 cent – Get rich or Die Tryin -  6 million
  Nelly , Country Grammar – 8 million
  2 Pac – All Eyez On Me   - 9 million
  Eminem – The Marshall Mathers  LP and Eminem Show – 10 million each
  Notorious BIG – Life After Death – 10 million

Even Hammer( 10 mill) and Will Smith( 9 mill). Okay maybe  they don’t count as true rappers but hey, numbers are numbers and they don’t  lie.

Source http://www.riaa.com/gp/bestsellers/topalbums.asp

Let me give you another perspective. Life After Death sold the  same amount of records as (Vol 1 + Vol2 + Vol3) of Jay-z’s Life Time, and Biggie  was not even alive to promote it.

[***Update***]am wrong on this. a double cd is counted as 2 sales which would make Life after Death actually 5 million in sales. Thanks HaHa.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay-Z_discography

Rap Battle(s)

We all know who won the Nas – Jay-Z battle, but an interesting  fact that came out of that was Nas pointing out to us all:

“Eminem murdered you on your own sh*t”   Nas- Ether

Collabos

Which brings me to my next point on Jay-z.  He has been out rapped in all his major  collabos. I mean, if Eminem murdered him, then what did DMX do to him on Money,  Cash, H*#s? I put like this, when it came time to do the video, all of sudden  they used a remix without DMX’s verse replacing it with Sigel and Bleek.  Hmmm!!! Lets take a longer walk down Memory lane to Brooklyn’s  Finest. Many in Jay-Z camp claim Biggie and Jay were going back and forth on  the track matching rhyme for rhyme. Oh hell no! Jay-z could barely keep up with  Biggie on the song. Just listen to this Biggie Snippet.

 

and they still aint  made 700s yet.

The Classic Album

What ever order you rank them, iLLmatic, Ready to Die,  The Chronic all come before Reasonable Doubt.  Not to even mention  the classics of  yester years from artists like Rakim, Public Enemy, KRS-one that critics rank  above all the above.

So In Summary,

-Jay-z has never had a hip hop best selling album
  -His most critically acclaimed album does not even rank in  the top 5 and maybe top 10
  -He never won his rapper battle
  -Could not hang in any of his major collabos with the best  rappers

Does that sound like the Michael  Jordan of recording to you?

There you have have it “Men Lie, Women lie, but Jay-z’s numbers  and facts definitely don’t lie”

Commenting on This Article
Pleased don’t put some retarded comment like “Am hating on  Jay-z” cause I will take that crap off. If you disagree with this, educate me  by writing something constructive and remember this is not that serious because  Jay-z is probably on a Yatch,, sipping on some Ace of spades counting his mills  and not worrying about half the Junk you or I write.

Comments

[kg]

seven straight summers critics might not amitted it but nobody in rap did it quit like i did it if you did it i done it before ..you get it i had it ..got made at it and dont want it nomore!hov bluprint 2 hovi baby

[Port Lyfe]

Jay-Z got like 10 number one albums what other rapper has that?

[lil hoody]

jay-z is the best rapper ever 1996-present albums none stop 4 in a half or better each album

[Jeff Young]

No, Jay-Z may not be the MJ of rap, probably the kobe or lebron james...numbers probably didn't add up, but contrary to popular opinion, when you sale primarily in the US, those numbers could be accurate, the artist that you have posted made alot of their moneys over seas and just being a publicity stunt...No frontin on Jiggas' end...Straight Up-town...No prototype of Jigga, it is alot easier to want to rap like 50 or eminem or whoever has the "Best Jingle" in todays society....and one more thing, Jay-z's the Michael Jordan of rap, umm maybe or maybe not but even Jordan was underpayed. Live in Peace......

[Sir MILTON]

Its like you guys don't listen to rap these day. Its all nonsense, or i'd rather say was all nonsense till Kingdom Come hit the stores. if u listen to rap with a purpose, then HOV is your man, if not, u should be having fun with these wack rappers out now. Yeah he is the Mike of recording period. If i were to match HOV with any rapper, then thats Eminem and thats where it ends.

[JmoKC]

Obviously the analogy isn't understood as intended by Hov. Not only is he referring to his versatility, as mentioned by a few, but also consistency and crowd control. For example, Michael Jordan doesn't have the highest scoring game of all time, as any respectable male should know, just as Jay-Z doesn't have the highest selling Rap album of all time. But they are similar in consistency. Jordan's numerous rings translate to Jay's numerous classics and number one albums. And to say that Reasonable Doubt isn't in the top 5 albums of all the time is completely ludicrous, if not blasphemous. Most current rap artists create music that is far from timeless and completely lacking in lyrical versatility and wit. An example is the common "metaphor" or "punchline" rapper, who can say clever things about nothing and leave the simple minded in awe. Jay can do the same thing, but with purpose (not saying that he always does, but his talent far exceeds superficiality). Anyway, to return to the analogy of Jay to Michael, they are unarguable the most powerful in their respective fields for their time periods, and both garner the most respect among their peers (Jay-Z is commonly cited as an influence for other rappers, just as other ball players studied Jordan's game). But, just as Jordan isn't everybody's favorite of all time, Jay-Z will surely not be unanimously known as the best ever in hip-hop, so hecklers are entitled to their opinions on both counts, regardless of how wrong they undoubtedly are.

[Steve J.]

Real talk, Jay is one of the nicest to ever rhyme. When you put the clever wordplay of Girls, Girls, Girls or Meet the Parents up against any of the songs of the other MC's that you seem to want to compare him to, Jay will shine. Jay has never been as one dimensional as some of the artists mentioned in the article. You cant judge a body of work on just radio singles. Mike jordan of rap to means he can do it all. Drive to the hole, shoot threes, free throws, pull up jumper, turn around jumper, etc. Nas and Eminem are nice. But to mention 50 Cent and Nelly cant hold a candle to Jay on the mic. Thats my one sided opinion. : )

[BIGMAL]

WOOOOW!!!JIGGA IS THE EPITOME OF RAP.TELL HIM TO DROP A HIT,YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE IT BUT IT WILL BE A HIT.M.J. WE DOWN BY 3 WE NEED A COMEBACK, AND JORDAN SCORES A 3 POINTER, COME ON MAN WE NEED TO GIVE PROPS WHERE PROPS IS DUE.NAS BOSS WAS HIS ENEMY AND YOU NOW TRUST THIS DUDE WITH YOUR CONTRACT,THATS SMART,BUT WHEN ALL THE NAMES OF THE LEGENDS START DYING DOWN AND THE NEW GUYS ARE COMING UP LEBRON JAMES=LIL WAYNE PLEASE SIR GIVE THEM THEY PROPS THE RAPPER EATER NO.1 FAN

[Kozzy Koz]

Jay-Z ?!?!? LOL
Oh, You must mean Mr. Beyonce Knowles.

[Kozzy Koz]

I've been saying this for Years... Jay-Z is OK! Yeah some of his lyrics are catchy and clever, and yeah he's sold a lot of records (not the most) and has a cult-like following in NYC... But he's Nothing Special!

The "FACT" remains, The Notorious BIG will always be known to have the SLICKEST FLOW. He could rap about Peanut Butter and Cucumbers and people would still be like "WHAAAAAT!! This guy is SICK!"

Lyrically, COME ON, nobody can touch the diversity, intelligence and creativity of Eminem. He revolutionized and elevated the art of Lyricism single-handedly. His choice of words and expression make even Oxford Grads double-take how he managed to fit those words into a song, effortlessly, and cohesively!

AND FINALLY, we have Tupac Shakur. Arguably one of the most respected Artists the genre has/will ever see!
Was he the BEST lyricist? Not by a long-shot...
Did he have the BEST FLOW? Not even close...
Did he SELL THE MOST RECORDS? Not sure...
But there is 1 thing I can confirm for You. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY exemplified the word PASSION more than this man! He had such untouchable Energy and Power in his words - not just in songs, but in Interviews too - that He kept You riveted with every word he spoke. His versatility as a Human Being: Actor, Poet, Rapper, Activist, Idol, Prophet, etc. will forever solidify his place as the Greatest Icon for the Black Youth ever! It really has nothing to do with his Music, but his understanding of the troubles and struggles that they (including himself) go through.

HANDS DOWN... These are the 3 Most Influential people the Genre has EVER seen.
Who's Jay-Z?

[Chad]

when Jay-Z said that line men lie woman lie numbers don't he was reffering to jim jones. Not all rappers. He even says it in we fly high jim jones diss. He says it becuase it we fly high men and woman say "no lie" so thats why he says it. Every rapper says that they are the best so that why he said the jordan of recordin. He also says that becuase like jordan he was planning to comeback from retirement. Peace

[B.I.G 4 Life]

There is definitely a hater in house. Have you thought about the perspective that when Jay claims to be the Mike Jordan of the rap game, maybe he necessarily isn't talking about record sales but the simple fact that he is running the whole game, you know rapper and CEO not to mention that he's got the hottest chick in the game wearing his chain too. It's quite obvious that there aint nobody out there currently that can stand next to him. Just some food for thought for ass. Hater.
Having said all this, I have professed this before and I'm gonna go on record to say it again, BIG was and will be the best ever to roc the mic.

[shojo]

i agree with your post 100 percent. he albums don't stand a chance in quality against the the real greats of all time--krs-one, rakim, public enemy, etc. sure he had some catchy rhymes and tunes but he has totally overblown his place in hip-hop history when it comes to actual quality. i saw him recently on a tv show talking about his ability to write hit songs in 15 minutes. puh-leeze. his ego alone about his skills is enuf to make me ill. and danger mouse helped put him on the map more than he would probably like to admit with the grey album.

[haha]

i dont give an f about who is/was the best.life after death didnt sell 10million!it was a double album with over 100MINUTES of recording so when it comes to certification it counts as double but soundscan numbers stand at 4.8 mill.jay-z won the battle in my opinion.nas' disses were on some elementary school mentality-calling another man gay,ugly just doesnt cut it.nas cried in his sleep after he heard is that your chick LOL.listen to renegade